Tournament Format

Tecmo XI - "Apocalipps Now" includes both Group Play and Bracket Play. Group Play will consist of various 8-man double-elimination pools. Only the Group Winners and Group Runners-Up of each double-elimination pool will advance to Bracket Play. The initial rounds of Bracket Play will be single-elimination. Time-permitting, we again intend to re-introduce double-elimination at some point. Last year, we introduced it in the Elite 8 round. Bracket Play will be played out until only the Tecmo X Champion remains.

In order to speed things up in Group Play, the participant advancing from the winner's side will not play the participant that ultimately advances from the loser’s side. The former will simply be declared the Group Winner (he will be 3-0) while the latter will be declared the Group Runner-Up (he will be either 3-1 or 4-1). Group Winners will be seeded higher for Bracket Play than Group Runners-Up. Within each of the four regions, Group Winners will be seeded according to point differential (they will all be 3-0) while Group Runners-Up will be seeded by point differential per game.

This tournament can accommodate up to 256 competitors. Group Play should take just over 5 hours. Another 4-5 hours will be needed to complete Bracket Play. We reserve the right to expand the field, shrink the field, and/or change the format if demand so necessitates.

Procedural & Gameplay Rules

Team Selection & Coin Toss: A manual coin-flip will precede each game. The coin-flip winner will choose the matchup (i.e. the two teams). The coin-flip loser then selects either (a) one of the two teams or (b) his preferred controller. If the coin-flip loser selects his preferred controller, the coin-flip winner selects a team first.

“One Matchup Once” Rule: The coin-flip winner can only select a particular matchup once throughout the entire tournament. For instance, if Player A wins the toss and selects Packers-Browns, Player A cannot call that exact matchup for the rest of the tournament. Player B, however, is free to select that matchup later in the tournament.

Customizing Playbooks and Lineup Changes: Customizing playbooks is permissible. You can access your “change” screen (screen where you check player conditions and make substitutions) only twice per half. This helps speed up the games.

WR/TE at RB: A WR/TE cannot carry the football unless it is a reverse. You can insert a WR or TE into a RB slot for lead blocking purposes, but he cannot carry the football. To further clarify, players such as Ernest Givins, Ricky Sanders, and Andre Rison cannot carry the football unless it is a reverse.

No Ties/Overtime: No game can end in a tie. If a game is tied when regulation concludes, competitors will proceed to OT. If no one scores in the first OT, a new game will begin and the first competitor to score will be declared the winner. So that one competitor does not start with the ball in each OT period, the kicking team in the first OT will be the receiving team in the new game (i.e. the second OT).

Lurching: Lurching is prohibited. If you want to rush with a DL, you must either go outside the offensive tackle or “popcorn” someone on the offensive line. Note that this rule does not apply to LBs.

Nintendo Malfunctions: If there is an equipment failure in the first half, games will be replayed from the start. If equipment malfunctions in the 2nd half, only the second half is replayed. In that event, the scores from each half are added together to obtain a final score. If the game was uncompetitive or the equipment malfunctioned due to human error, the tourney organizers reserve the right to declare a winner without replaying any portion of the game.

Tournament Disputes: Josh & Chet Holzbauer are the tournament referees. They will decide all disputes unless one of them is a player in the game. If one or both is a player in the disputed game, Jonathan Bailey and Tony Orenga will resolve the dispute.

Controllers: Tournament competitors are not allowed to bring their own controller to use in games. Tournament organizers will coordinate obtaining equipment for the competition.